Rotatable input device for a mobile communication device

• US 20060012563A1
• Filed: 07/15/2004
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason Tyler, Fyke, Steven H.
• Application Number:
  US10/891,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20060012563A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1622 with enclosures rotating around an axis perpendicular to the plane they define or with ball-joint coupling, e.g. PDA with display enclosure orientation changeable between portrait and landscape by rotation with respect to a coplanar body enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0212 with a two degrees of freedom mechanism, i.e. folding around a first axis and rotating around a second axis perpendicular to the first
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0241 using relative motion of the body parts to change the operational status of the telephone set, e.g. switching on/off, answering incoming call
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/656 for recording conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation

Abstract

An input device for a mobile device comprising a telephone keypad arranged on one side of the input device for providing an input signal corresponding to telephone characters, a keyboard arranged on the opposite side of the input device for providing an input signal corresponding to text characters, and a connector for attaching the keyboard to the mobile device for rotating between a first position of the input device and a second position of the input device around a rotation axis. With the addition of a flip axis to the connector, the telephone keypad is operable and the keyboard sits on main body of the mobile device when the input device is in the first position, and the keyboard is operable and the input device sits on the main body of the mobile device when the keyboard is in the second position.

Claims

1. An input device for a mobile device comprising:

a telephone keypad arranged on one side of the input device for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one telephone character;

a keyboard arranged on the opposite side of the input device for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one text character;

a connector for attaching the input device to the mobile device for rotating between a first position of the input device and a second position of the input device around a rotation axis,

wherein the telephone keypad is operable when the input device is in the first position, and the keyboard is operable when the input device is in the second position.

2. The input device of claim 1, wherein the input device is supportable by the main body of the mobile device when in at least one of said first position and said second position.

3. The input device of claim 1, wherein the connector further attaches the input device to the mobile device for flipping between one of said first and second positions of the input device to a third position of the input device around a flip axis, wherein the input device is rotatable when in the third position.

4. The input device of claim 3, wherein the flip axis and the rotation axis are provided by the connector, and the flip axis is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis.

5. The input device of claim 3, wherein the first position and the second position are changed over by flipping out the input device around the flip axis, rotating around the rotation axis, and flipping back to main body of the mobile device around the flip axis.

6. The input device of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises at least a horizontal part and a vertical part.

7. The input device of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a 2-axis hinge.

8. The input device of claim 1, wherein the connector comprises a single axis hinge, and a joint part vertically connected to the single axis hinge.

9. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is a QWERTY layout keyboard.

10. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is a Dvorak layout keyboard.

11. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is a QWERTZ layout keyboard.

12. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is an AZERTY layout keyboard.

13. The input device of claim 1, further comprising means operatively connected to the connector for detecting the position of the input device.

14. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard is disabled when the telephone keypad is operable, and the telephone keypad is disabled when the keyboard is operable.

15. The input device of claim 1, wherein the input device is detachable with the mobile device.

16. The input device of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is a touch screen mobile device.

17. The input device of claim 15, wherein the mobile device is hand writing screen mobile device.

18. The input device of claim 1, wherein the keyboard includes

a plurality of alphanumeric keys, each alphanumeric key corresponding to a plurality of alphanumeric values, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one of the corresponding alphanumeric values of the key,

a command key for providing an input signal corresponding to a command key value;

a keyboard interpreter for receiving the signals provided from the plurality of alphanumeric keys, and the command key, for mapping the received signals to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.

19. The input device of claim 18, further comprises the plurality of alphabetic keys, each alphabetic key corresponding to at least one alphabetic value, each key for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one alphabetic value of the key.

20. The input device of claim 18 or 19, wherein the keystroke interpreter employs predictive text routines for mapping the received signals to a sequence of alphanumeric and command values.

21. A mobile device comprising:

an input device having a telephone keypad arranged on one side of the input device attached to the mobile device for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one telephone character, a keyboard arranged on the opposite side of the input device for providing an input signal corresponding to at least one text character, and a connector for attaching the input device to the mobile device for rotating between a first position of the input device and a second position of the input device around a rotation axis;

a microprocessor, operatively connected to the input device for determining the position of the input device and enabling the telephone keypad operable when in the first position and the keyboard operable when in the second position, and receiving the input signal from the input device, and for controlling the operation of the mobile device; and

an application module, executable by the microprocessor, for providing a plurality of operational features and initiating such features upon certain inputs from the input device.

22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the input device is supportable by the main body of the mobile device when in at least one of said first position and said second position.

23. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the connector further attaches the input device to the mobile device for flipping between one of said first and second positions of the input device to a third position of the input device around a flip axis, wherein the input device is rotatable when in the third position.

24. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising means operatively connected to the input device for detecting the position of the input device.

25. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the flip axis and the rotation axis are provided by the connector, and the flip axis is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis.

26. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein when the input device is in the first position, telephone-related functions are provided, and when the input device is in the second position, data-related functions are provided.

27. The mobile device of claim 23, wherein the first position of the input device and the second position of the input device are interchanged by flipping out the input device around the flip axis, rotating around the rotation axis, and flipping back to main body of the mobile device around the flip axis.

28. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein checking email function is activated when the telephone keypad is operable.

29. The mobile device of claim 21, further including a display.

30. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the input device is detachable with the mobile device.

31. The mobile device of claim 29 or 30, wherein the display is a touch screen display.

32. The mobile device of claim 29 or 30, wherein the display is a hand writing display.

33. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein the display displays a user interface including telephone-related functions when the input device is in the first position, and displays a user interface including data-related functions when the input device is in the second position.

34. The mobile device of claim 29, wherein the display displays a user interface including telephone-related functions and data-related functions.

35. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the mobile device is a two-way wireless communications device having at least voice and data communication capabilities.

36. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein the mobile device is one of the group consisting of a cellular telephone with two-way messaging capabilities and personal digital assistant capabilities, a data messaging device, a two-way pager, wireless Internet appliance and a personal digital assistant.

37. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising an auxiliary input device.

38. The mobile device of claim 37, wherein the auxiliary input device is a thumbwheel.

39. The mobile device of claim 21, further comprising an escape key.

40. The mobile device of claim 39, wherein the escape key provides an input signal for hanging up a telephone call.